Wayne Rooney relishing playing as a striker and vows to fire Man United to the title

With Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao now gone boss Louis van Gaal is ready to back his skipper and give him the centre forward role he craves next season.

Rooney only managed 14 goals last season, his lowest tally since joining United in 2004.

But he has pledged to repay his boss with an avalanche of goals when the new campaign kicks off next month.

“Being the main striker is where I like to play and I am sure it is where I will play,” he said.

RESPONSIBILITY: Rooney thinks he can score plenty of goals as a striker for Manchester United this season [GETTY]

“I am ready to take on that mantle again and be the one who gets the goals for this team”

Wayne Rooney

“It is where the manager and myself see as my best position.

“Obviously then the onus will be on me to score the goals. Hopefully I can get a good run of games and repay the manager by scoring goals for the team.

“I have played different roles over the years for United but you only have to look when I play for England as a striker I score goals.

“And the last time I really played the full season as a striker I scored 34. All the other seasons I have been up front, then moved to midfield or out wide so hopefully if I stay up front then I can get near that again.

SUPERSTAR: Rooney has shown he is a natural goalscorer [GETTY]

“I have no doubts that I can do that again.

“If I am playing as a striker then I will be disappointed if I cannot do that again. I am ready to take on that mantle again and be the one who gets the goals for this team.”

Rooney has often been played out of position by former bosses Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes and current manager Van Gaal.

“I don’t think I have sacrificed myself too much over the years,” he said.

“Football is a team game and you win and lose together. Over the years I have been successful and won a lot of trophies with United.

“I think there are times when you have to do things for the good of the team and I feel I have done that.

I have played deeper or wider some seasons and won Premier League medals and as a footballer that is your aim to be successful with your team mates.

“My best position, though, and I have always said it, is as a striker, getting into the box and the two seasons I have really done that [2009-10 and 2011-12] as a lone striker are my two best goal scoring seasons.

“So hopefully if I play up there again this season then I can the goals.

“If the manager wants me to do different jobs then I will do it. It was the same last season. But with the quality we have bought into the squad and the numbers we have brought in the manager has options in midfield so there shouldn’t be a need to go and play there.”

“It is a big season for us. I think we have enough quality now to challenge for the title.

“At times last season we were very good, particularly in some of the big games. Now we have added four quality players and they will help us be a bit more consistent and give us a real chance of the title.”

*Wayne Rooney will be back in an Everton shirt next month after agreeing to play in Duncan Ferguson’s testimonial against Villarreal at Goodison Park.